Cascade Middle School, Vancouver WA

Original Research by School Decision on Cascade Middle School

Cascade Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in the Evergreen School District (Clark), located in the eastern part of Vancouver, Washington. Its enrollment is large for a three-grade middle school. The student body is diverse: the largest group is white, followed by Hispanic students, and then students who identify as two or more races. Smaller shares identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Black, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a predominantly low-income population.

Academically, state test results from the 2024-25 school year show that student proficiency rates across all subjects are low. In math, proficiency rates declined slightly from sixth to eighth grade, with roughly one in six students meeting the standard. In English language arts, proficiency was somewhat higher but still below a third of students, with eighth graders performing best among the three grades. On the eighth-grade science assessment, about a quarter of students scored proficient. When compared against other schools within Clark County’s districts, Cascade Middle School’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. A single year of data was available, so no trend is observable; a parent may wish to ask the school what progress it has made over recent years or what specific academic supports are in place.

The district context is relevant. The Evergreen School District recently completed a wave of school rebuilds and upgrades funded by a bond measure passed several years ago, combined with state matching funds and impact fees. Those construction projects modernized many physical learning environments across the district. That investment may have touched Cascade Middle School’s facilities, but no specific program or course access data for the school itself was available in this profile. Without information on course offerings, elective choices, advanced coursework, or support services, a family interested in the full academic and extracurricular picture should contact the school directly.

Vancouver is a mid-sized city that serves as the county seat of Clark County and is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The city has grown rapidly in recent years, with a major annexation proposal under discussion that could make it the state’s second-largest city. East Vancouver, where Cascade Middle School is located, includes suburban communities like Cascade Park and is more auto-dependent than the historic downtown and waterfront areas. The city’s economy includes corporate headquarters for several companies, the Port of Vancouver, and major healthcare and government employers. Housing values in the area are above the national median, and rents have been rising, though the market softened somewhat recently relative to state benchmarks. Many families commute across the Columbia River to Portland, contributing to traffic congestion on the Interstate bridges.

Discipline, attendance, and staffing data were not available in this profile, nor were details about special education or English learner populations. That limits a full understanding of the school climate. For a family weighing this school, the most salient facts are the low state test scores and the high share of students from low-income households, set against a district that has invested heavily in modernizing its schools and a growing metropolitan region that continues to attract new residents. A visit and conversation with school staff would be the next step to gauge whether Cascade Middle School’s academic supports and community fit a particular student’s needs.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 28% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 28% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 29% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 34% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 34% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Science

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 37% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

This schoolEvergreen School District (Clark), same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income52%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income38%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income35%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income37%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income10%Higher-income18%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income9%Higher-income30%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income24%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income11%Higher-income20%9 pp gap